Writing

The Sabre voice

So what exactly is the Sabre voice? Great question. It’s the expression of our brand’s personality and identity. It’s who we are, in writing. The Sabre voice is human, high-performance and clever. When writing, human and clever are the drivers, with the emphasis on human.

While it may sound odd to be talking about voice and the written word, that’s the point. Whether composing an internal email, an article for publication or a note to a customer, make it feel like you’re conversing, one human being to another.

Think first - write second

When crafting any company communication, you are an ambassador of the Sabre brand. You not only speak for Sabre; you speak as Sabre. Here are some things to think about:

Know your audience. How they take in what you say is as important as what you say.

Keep it simple and concise. We’re a technology company, but we don’t talk over people’s heads.

Use first and second person. We’re all in this together.

Don’t assume anybody wants to read what you write. Engage them.

Voice vs. tone

Voice is who we are. It’s human, clever, high performance. It’s consistent, singular.

Tone is how we speak. It can change depending on audience, situation or media.Informal vs. formal, all business vs. business casual.

Go with your gut

Tone of voice is something you hear a lot about when discussing brand. These are guidelines, not rules. They’re intended not to box you in, but rather provide a path on which to turn you loose, confident in your ability to write the Sabre way.

Do this, don't do that guidelines

Use strong, vivid, purposeful language, especially active verbs.

Strong: spearhead

Strong: capture

Strong: drive

Weak: lead

Weak: control

Weak: move

Look for verbs and adjectives that include some emotional connotation or evoke a strong mental image.

Use: delving into

Use: youthful

Over: reading

Over: young

Write headlines with strong verbs and be concise.

Concise: Work smarter

Verbose: How we can work more efficiently and collaboratively

Be clear and straightforward. Avoid jargon or wordiness.

Clear: We're improving

Jargon: We are accomplishing improvement outcomes

Go with active voice over passive.

Active: We provide customers...

Passive: Customers are provided with...

Be a positive force. Use positive language, rather than belaboring the negative, adverse, unfavorable, detrimental, pessimistic. See what we did there? Don’t do that.

Positive: Use Clipboard, the second-most used app on the Sabre Red App Centre. It’s earned 4 out of 5 stars for efficiency.

Negative: You’re wasting time with messy formatting when you could be using the must-have app for every efficient agent, Clipboard.

Be honest. In your effort to be positive, don’t sugarcoat things. Tell it like it is.